Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28-year-old medical assistant from suburban Atlanta, experienced a severe infection in her final hours which her hospital, Piedmont Henry Hospital, was equipped to treat. After taking abortion pills, she faced a rare complication where not all fetal tissue was expelled from her body, necessitating a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure to clear her uterus.
However, recent state legislation had classified the procedure as a felony with limited exceptions, posing potential prosecution for doctors, thus delaying Thurman’s treatment. Thurman spent 20 hours in pain, her infection worsening, her blood pressure dropping, and her organs failing, before doctors finally performed the procedure, which was too late to save her life.
The maternal mortality review committee, which included ten doctors, deemed Thurman’s death preventable, directly attributing it to the hospital’s delay in performing the D&C. ProPublica obtained reports indicating that at least two women, including Thurman, had died after being unable to access timely medical care and legal abortions in their states.
This case marks the first public revelation of a preventable abortion-related death since recent legislative changes. ProPublica plans to report on other similar cases and the broader implications of abortion bans on maternal health. Medical experts warned state legislators that such legal restrictions would result in preventable deaths, and Republican lawmakers maintaining the laws argue that they contain sufficient exceptions to protect women’s lives, although medical experts dispute the adequacy of these provisions.
The article highlights that restrictive abortion laws force physicians to balance legal risks against patients’ health needs. The vague language of exceptions in bans complicates medical decisions, as doctors fear prosecution without clear legal protections.
Thurman’s death certificate cited “septic shock” and “retained products of conception” as her causes of death. Her family, unaware of the specific circumstances and the preventable nature of her death until informed by ProPublica, continues to grieve deeply, focusing on supporting her young son.
The ProPublica investigation underscores the consequences of restrictive abortion laws on women’s health and the challenges faced by the medical community in providing necessary care amid legal uncertainties.